AMBA & BGA EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2026
Best Lifelong Learning Initiative, in association with Ready Education WINNER: GITAM School of Business, India for GITAM Innovation & Entrepreneurship Continuum Designed to help learners evolve from students to business founders to mentors, the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Continuum has reached more than 1,000 learners and 300 ventures. “This recognition affirms our belief that lifelong learning is not confined to the classroom but is a continuous journey of curiosity, innovation and impact,” reflected GITAM School of Business dean Raja Pappu.
AMBA Student of the Year in association with GMAC WINNER: Esmeralda Colombo, POLIMI Graduate School of Management (GSoM), Italy Colombo is a legal scholar turned entrepreneur who is building an AI‑powered cleantech venture. “Her academic rigour, entrepreneurial vision and dedication to responsible innovation embody the values that define our business school,” enthused POLIMI dean, Federico Frattini.
Caitlin Ferreira was named MBA Director of the Year
MBA Director of the Year
WINNER: Caitlin Ferreira, University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, South Africa Ferreira juggled leadership, upholding the qualification’s transformative experience to help reimagine the school’s modular MBA. “We will continue to push the boundaries of what a contemporary MBA should be and position Africa as a source of insight for global management practice,” declared Ferreira. managerial capacity and a commitment to
Esmeralda Colombo, POLIMI graduate and tech entrepreneur, was crowned AMBA Student of the Year
GITAM School of Business dean Raja Pappu accepted the award for the Best Lifelong Learning Initiative via video link
Entrepreneur of the Year
WINNER: Warner Jenkins, IE Business School, Spain Jenkins has turned personal healing into commercial innovation with Nordic Wellness, a holistic ecosystem that connects cold therapy, personalised breathwork and coaching. Achieving $7.2 million in revenue in its second year, the business is empowering thousands to lead healthier, more intentional lives.
Postgraduate Leadership Award
WINNER: Cristian Von Schulz Hausmann, Universidad Torcuato Di Tella Escuela de Negocios, Argentina As managing director and general manager of healthcare Mexico at pharmaceutical multinational Merck, Von Schulz Hausmann expanded access to new drugs and pursued a net-positive approach that received recognition for social impact. Von Schulz Hausmann commented that during “a resurgence of narrow, purely financial thinking, being recognised for participative leadership and Teal [self‑managing] organisations is deeply meaningful.”
Cristian Von Schulz Hausmann gained plaudits for his efforts in the pharmaceutical industry
Mariana Luciano, IE’s head of accreditations and rankings, accepted the award on behalf of winner Warner Jenkins
Startup of the Year WINNER: Samuel Tecuala, King’s Business School, UK for Dehusk Dehusk takes a locally produced and fortified coconut milk beverage to a market where 90 per cent are lactose intolerant, in a bid to tackle micronutrient deficiencies. “The business was founded in response to a clear need in the Philippines and across Southeast Asia,” explained Tecuala, a recent graduate of the bachelor’s in business management programme at King’s Business School (KBS).
Dehusk investor and KBS student Mohamed Amr Hamwi was present to accept the award in Samuel Tecuala’s absence
Ambition • ISSUE 1 • 2026 43
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